Photo: Excerpt from an Article published Aug.16, 1877 in The Monongahela Republican source, Newspapers.com. The referenced Culpeper Times of 1877 has no association with the current-day Culpeper Times publication. Another teaser to feed your “anticipation.” Coming to a newspaper near you- that would be the Culpeper Times, of course- will be a series of stories on a tragic act of terrorism in our …

It is not my intention to leave the discussion of the First Africans-the “20 and odd”- who landed on Virginia soil in 1619 as if a conclusion has been reached. To the contrary, the fruitful debate takes time, comprehension, and study. The last five articles should provide excellent fodder for continuing conversations: letting the thought …

Note a couple of items on this marker produced in 1994. The text questions the status of these First Africans as being enslaved or indentured and one should note that until 1661 the Virginia Colony had no laws pertaining to the institution of race based slavery or any other form of slavery. The second item …

Note: The VDHR let me know that the 1994 signage was removed and a replacement erected in 2015. It is unfortunate that the former sign remians on the web!! Have you been thinking about these questions I posed last week? Who were these people of color? Where did they come from? Were they a religious …

It is a rainy day and I have now relocated to New Orleans. It’s not all work, as you might imagine life in the Big Easy, but there are opportunities to further the research here and I am compelled to take advantage. To that end, I attended St. Augustine Catholic Church yesterday—a historic congregation founded …

The state of Louisiana’s trove of history is incomparable. A vast number of the historic structures have been preserved and there is no finer example than in the City of New Orleans. If all one did was spend the days ogling the buildings of the 18th and 19th centuries that rise from the narrow cobble …

After five weeks, I am heading north, but not before I spend a few more days “down south” and then a little time exploring in the Carolinas. I continue to be amazed with the amount of water in the lower southern states. Of course, I should be prepared having studied U.S. geography, but that was …

Forty-three days, eight states, 13 cities, an estimated 4,000 miles, 14 repositories, five churches, three dozen cemeteries, and eight speaking engagements! Sounds like a lot, right? It was amazing and yet none of this holds a candle to the people I met and the stories they had to tell. In the current world of chaos …

Watch Video Not an article just a blurb to see what you saw or see what you missed!! It was a fantastic program. Thank you Orange County African American Historical Society OCAAHS (sponsors); Darrell Howard (author); former ball players (amazing ); attendees (estimated between 75 and 100); Art Center of Orange (beautiful facilities); media (Orange Co. …